1971

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 * 1971-01-08 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, 9:00pm and 1.00am, with Steven Van Zandt & Friends the lone act on the bill. The 'Friends' include Springsteen (just back from a Christmas trip to California), Garry Tallent, Danny Federici, Southside Johnny, Joe Hagstrom (guitar), and Bobby Williams (drums). An early attempt by Van Zandt to formulate new directions in the wake of Springsteen’s December 1970 decision to end Steel Mill.


 * 1971-01-09 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, 9:00pm and 1.00am, with Steven Van Zandt & Friends the lone act on the bill. The 'Friends' include Springsteen (just back from a Christmas trip to California), Garry Tallent, Danny Federici, Southside Johnny, Joe Hagstrom (guitar), and Bobby Williams (drums). An early attempt by Van Zandt to formulate new directions in the wake of Springsteen’s December 1970 decision to end Steel Mill.


 * 1971-01-18 - D'SCENE, SOUTH AMBOY, NJ**

HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) (10:43) / GOIN' BACK TO GEORGIA (8:27) / OH MAMA (4:18) / CHANGING CHILDREN (10:07) / MARY LOUISE WATSON (9:00) / DANCING IN THE STREET - HONKY TONK WOMEN (12:05) / I CAN'T TAKE IT NO MORE (7:56) / TRAIN RIDE (13:23) / I GOTTA BE FREE - TURN ON YOUR LOVE LIGHT (12:00) / RESURRECTION (11:00) / RUN, SHAKER LIFE (10:39)

One show, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining with support from Godzilla. The above mentioned eleven-song setlist is believed to be the complete show and the entire performance is circulating in very good to excellent soundboard quality, although the material has a notorious history of being cannibalized, re-sequenced and incorrectly dated. Be aware that this show is sometimes listed as a twelve- or thirteen-song performance if "Honky Tonk Women" and/or "Turn On Your Love Light" are counted as separate songs. "Mary Louise Watson" is also known by the title "Black Widow Spider". Last known performance of "I Can't Take It No More", which is also known by the title "I Can't Take It". "Changing Children" is also known as "Change It" or "Change It (Revolution)".

Some of this show is available on the CD 'Going Back In The Past' (Wild Bird) and 'All Those Years' (Templar) and parts are found on several other boots, sometimes with incorrect venue/date information. The performance was previously best obtained through private CDR sources that had the complete show with proper sequencing, but CDRs 'Right The F* On' (Palace) and 'Legend Of Steel Mill' (Vintage Masters) are sourced from lower generation tape compared to many sources and worth acquiring. Track running time info may vary widely depending on how between song 'dead time' is allocated.


 * 1971-01-22 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

DANCING IN THE STREET - HONKY TONK WOMEN - PROUD MARY / OH MAMA / GOIN' BACK TO GEORGIA / HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) / CHANGING CHILDREN / TRAIN RIDE / I GOTTA BE FREE - TURN ON YOUR LOVE LIGHT / RUN, SHAKER LIFE / RESURRECTION

One show, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining and National Debt opening. A pre-concert newspaper article in the //Middletown Courier// (see above) mentions two shows scheduled for this night, but none for the following evening. These two shows were ultimately 'split', with one show taking place on this and the following night. The above-mentioned nine-song setlist can be found on a good quality (for the era) audience recording that can be dated with a fairly high degree of confidence to this show, Steel Mill's penultimate. The 90-minute tape surfaced in early 2017 after a Springsteen fan took an Uber ride in New Jersey with the taper's brother. As often happens in Jersey, Springsteen came up in the conversation, and the driver said that his brother taped one of the final Steel Mill gigs at The Upstage on a cassette recorder, and he had CDs of the show in the car. Before long a deal was struck, and the discs were passed on to a long-time collector. Aside from the information from the taper's brother, there are several other compelling clues that lead us to place this information here. Firstly, the set includes "Train Ride", with Robbin Thompson providing the lead vocals, dating it to after August 1970. Towards the end of the show, the band gives a ninety-second PSA from the stage. They talk about how important the club is, that it's the only place where they can play and jam, and it needs to stay open. These comments can only be referring to The Upstage. Bruce also comments about Danny Federici's legal issues that arose from the incident at the Clearwater Swim Club in Atlantic Highlands in September 1970, and his subsequent guilty plea that took place sometime in November. Finally, Springsteen also mentions that the band is also playing tomorrow, and we know a show took place on January 23. The tape is the only piece of substantial audio of Springsteen performing at The Upstage known to exist, and captures Steel Mill in fine, spirited form, with some scorching guitar work from Springsteen throughout the set.

Audience tape. All nine songs found on the tape are essentially complete, aside from "Resurrection" which is cut at the end. There are fades between tracks, the opening bars of some are missing, and any between-song chat is also cut. Comparing the setlist to January 18 at D'Scene, they are very similar apart from the performance order. Therefore one or two songs could well be missing and the song order of either this set or January 18 is likely to be incorrect. After a 46 year wait, the recording finally entered general circulation in February 2017.


 * 1971-01-23 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

SWEET MELINDA (4:20) / OH MAMA (4:37) / HE'S GUILTY (THE JUDGE SONG) (8:29)

One show, double bill, with Steel Mill headlining and National Debt opening. This was advertised as the final Steel Mill gig and current evidence supports this, including Springsteen noting this fact at D'Scene earlier in the week. The dissolution of Steel Mill was amicable. Apparently, Bruce had informed members in December, prior to a Christmas trip to California, of his desire to explore other musical directions. Speaking of his brief, five-month (September 1970 - January 1971) Steel Mill tenure, vocalist Robbin Thompson has commented: “it was a strange thing. No one really knew why I was in the band….but about half way through I knew the band, as it was, wasn’t going to last, especially me.”

The text below is copyrighted to Jeannie Clark Fisher. Jeannie played The Upstage the night after the show listed above. // "The Upstage Coffeehouse was a great place – small and intimate with a listening crowd. I remember climbing the stairway that led to the tiny backstage area. The stage itself was compact, but didn’t discourage the musicians on hand to jam at times on my solo sets – Bruce, Garry Tallent, Vini Lopez, Steven Van Zandt, “Southside” Johnny Lyon, and my good friend, the late clarinet/sax player, Terry Loughran. I sang and banged on the old, out-of -tune upright piano or strummed my Martin guitar, while Tinker taped the music onto his reel-to-reel recorder. (I still have the original tape of the show on January 24th. The band, “Odin”, with their lengthy, spacey, instrumental, acid-rock music, played that night, also.)" // //Songs: “Feel Like A Woman”, “Back Here”, “Livin’ In The Country”, “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere”, “The World’s A Sad Place”, “Black Skies”, “No One’s Lesson But Your Own”.//

The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a very good quality soundboard recording that is now in circulation. This material has yet to appear on any mainstream CD boot, but can be found on the CDR 'Legend Of Steel Mill' (Vintage Masters). The audio features continuity between songs and marks the first ever appearance of any Springsteen audio from The Upstage. These three songs are culled from early in the set and may possibly be the show’s opening three numbers. This is also the first time a rendition of “Sweet Melinda” has surfaced in nice sound quality. The remainder of the show has not surfaced.


 * 1971-01-29 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

JAM IMPROVISATION #1 (15:20) / JAM IMPROVISATION #2 (11:25)

Two shows, 9:00pm and 1.00am, with Steven Van Zandt & The Big Bad Bobby Williams Band the lone act on the bill. Springsteen is believed to have made a guest appearance during parts of one or both of these shows. The Big Bad Bobby Williams Band was a fairly short-lived group (November 1970 - March 1971) and consisted of Bobby Williams (drums, vocals), Garry Tallent (bass), Steven Van Zandt (vocals, guitar), David Sancious (organ) and Southside Johnny (harp, vocals).

The above-noted setlist is culled from nearly 27 minutes of very good quality soundboard audio. The exact date of the recording is not yet known, although it’s from this close-proximity time period. The audio is likely to be from either this January 29 Upstage gig or from a show the band performed at the Sunshine In on February 19. This audio represents only a small part of an entire show and the musicians heard on this segment of audio are Van Zandt-Tallent-Sancious-Williams. Southside is not heard and neither is Springsteen (who didn’t play on February 19th). Van Zandt handles the vocals on both songs and his lead and slide guitar work here is phenomenal, the best representation of Van Zandt’s guitar prowess available on any known audio.


 * 1971-01-30 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, 9:00pm and 1.00am, with Steven Van Zandt & The Big Bad Bobby Williams Band the lone act on the bill. An early attempt by Van Zandt to formulate new directions in the wake of Springsteen’s December 1970 decision to end Steel Mill. Springsteen guests. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-02-00 - CHALLENGER EASTERN SURFBOARDS, WANAMASSA, NJ**

Rehearsals for the upcoming Allman Brothers show on March 27 begin at the surfboard factory in February. At some point in the near future Tinker would move the factory to Atlantic Highlands. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-02-12 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-02-13 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-02-19 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-02-20 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore-area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-02-26 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-02-27 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-03-05 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-03-06 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-03-12 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-03-13 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. An 'open-mic' night at the club (no pre-advertised acts on the bill). Springsteen attends and jams with a variety of different shore area musicians at various points throughout the evening. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-03-18 - DEAL PARK RECREATION CENTER, DEAL, NJ**

No set details known. One show, double bill, with Springsteen headlining and country-rock band Highway opening. This was a Jewish Community sponsored dance orchestrated by the Young Hebrew Association (YWHA), who utilized the park facility as its clubhouse. Although the poster billing "Bruce Springsteen" implies a possible solo performance, it wasn’t. The billing reflects the fact that Bruce had no settled band (or band name) at this point. Springsteen utilized a four-piece backing band for this show and according to the most reliable recollections its line-up consisted of Steven Van Zandt, Vini Lopez, Garry Tallent, and David Sancious.

Apparently the entire show (including Highway) was audience audio recorded by the head Rabbi... then accidentally erased soon afterward!


 * 1971-03-27 - SUNSHINE IN, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

Two shows, 7:30pm and 10:30pm, triple bill, with Springsteen (under the unique moniker of Bruce Springsteen & Friendly Enemies) opening for the second-billed Cowboy and headliner The Allman Brothers Band. Bruce and Steven Van Zandt were major Allman Brothers fans and during February Bruce lobbied hard to be part of the show, despite the fact that Steel Mill had broken up and Bruce had not yet settled on a new band. Ultimately Bruce decided to utilize the extended clan of musicians he’d been jamming with at The Upstage during preceding weeks and this event is perhaps the ultimate example of Asbury Park performing legend.

The billing name "Friendly Enemies" was chosen during February. It was actually a week or two prior to this March 27 gig that the famous moniker Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom was conjured up, but it was too late to change the name on the promotional material and posters for the show. Indeed, much of the long-standing discrepancy about how many Dr. Zoom gigs were performed stems from the fact that some people count this night’s two shows as Dr. Zoom gigs, others don’t count them. The two shows on this night weren’t billed under the name 'Dr. Zoom', but they included all the elements of the 2 later Dr. Zoom shows in May, in fact they included more musicians and props than the either of the two later 'official' Zoom shows.

Springsteen’s backing band for this gig (the so-called "Friendly Enemies") consisted of Steven Van Zandt (guitar), Garry Tallent (bass), David Sancious (keyboards), Vini Lopez (drums, vocals), Southside Johnny (harp, vocals), Albee Tellone (sax, vocals), former Rogues member John "Hotkeys" Waasdorp (electric piano), Bobby Feigenbaum (tenor sax), Bobby Williams (drums, vocals), and Tinker West (congas). Danny Federici was not present at this show. There was also a chorus/skit troupe of Upstage regulars nicknamed "The Sonic People'" that included Connie Manser (the baton twirler), Robin Nash, Jeannie Clark, Fifi Longo, and Kevin Kavanaugh topped off by a quartet (Kevin "Bird" Connair, Bruce Greenwood, Big Danny Gallagher and Upstage bouncer Roger "Black Tiny" Lewis) that sat on stage playing the game Monopoly during Bruce’s performance. At one point during the show Springsteen sat at the Monopoly table while singing. The Monopoly game and the baton twirling were unique to this show, these antics were not incorporated into any later shows. The name "Sonic People" later became known as "The Zoomettes".

Apparently, The Allman Brothers got a kick out of Bruce’s combination of zany props and inspired music. Backstage between shows Duane Allman gave some slide guitar tips to Steven Van Zandt and also played some impromptu slide on top of a soundboard tape listening session of Bruce’s early show that Tinker West was conducting. Allman was quoted as saying "that's one cookin' band, man". Sadly this would turn out to be the only Sunshine In appearance for The Allman Brothers Band. Although tentatively booked for a November 1971 return engagement (see August 7 listing) the death of Duane Allman in a motorcycle crash on October 31 caused the group to cancel.


 * 1971-04-02 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Billed as a '1950s Revival' show, Bruce and Steven lead separate bands of Upstage regulars playing hit songs from the 50s. All the musicians were dressed the part, with hair slicked back and shirtsleeves rolled up. The handbill for this show and the next night can be seen at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame exhibition. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-04-03 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Billed as a '1950s Revival' show, Bruce and Steven lead separate bands of Upstage regulars playing hit songs from the 50s. All the musicians were dressed the part, with hair slicked back and shirtsleeves rolled up. The handbill for this show and the previous night can be seen at the Rock N Roll Hall Of Fame exhibition. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-04-10 - THE GREEN MERMAID, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Billed as the 'Bruce Springsteen Acoustic Jam'. The Green Mermaid was the coffee/tea house located on the floor below The Upstage.


 * 1971-04-11 - THE GREEN MERMAID, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Billed as the 'Bruce Springsteen Acoustic Jam'. The Green Mermaid was the coffee/tea house located on the floor below The Upstage. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-04-16 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, billed as the 'Bruce Springsteen Jam Concert'. Bruce’s method of finding the right combination of musicians for a new band. Out of these shows will emerge The Sundance Blues Band, Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom and ultimately The Bruce Springsteen Band.


 * 1971-04-17 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, billed as the 'Bruce Springsteen Jam Concert'. Bruce’s method of finding the right combination of musicians for a new band. Out of these shows will emerge The Sundance Blues Band, Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom and ultimately The Bruce Springsteen Band.


 * 1971-04-23 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, billed as the 'Bruce Springsteen Jam Concert'. Bruce’s method of finding the right combination of musicians for a new band. Out of these shows will emerge The Sundance Blues Band, Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom and ultimately The Bruce Springsteen Band.


 * 1971-04-24 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, billed as the 'Bruce Springsteen Jam Concert'. Bruce’s method of finding the right combination of musicians for a new band. Out of these shows will emerge The Sundance Blues Band, Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom and ultimately The Bruce Springsteen Band.


 * 1971-04-30 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with the The Sundance Blues Band (making its commercial debut) the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Steven Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Vini Lopez (drums and vocals), Garry Tallent (bass), and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). Springsteen makes a brief guest appearance.


 * 1971-05-01 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with the The Sundance Blues Band sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Steven Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Vini Lopez (drums and vocals), Garry Tallent (bass), and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). Springsteen makes a brief guest appearance during the encores.


 * 1971-05-07 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with the The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Steven Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Vini Lopez (drums and vocals), Garry Tallent (bass), and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). A possible Springsteen appearance during this show, but not certain.


 * 1971-05-08 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with the The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This gig included the original line-up of the group with Southside Johnny (harp), Steven Van Zandt (lead guitar and vocals), Vini Lopez (drums and vocals), Garry Tallent (bass), and Joe Hagstrom (rhythm guitar). A possible Springsteen appearance during this show, but not certain. Guitarist Joe Hagstrom left the band after this gig and Springsteen took his place starting the following week.


 * 1971-05-14 - SUNSHINE IN, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, IT TAKES A TRAIN TO CRY / GOIN’ BACK TO GEORGIA / SIX DAYS ON THE ROAD / JAMBALAYA (ROLL OVER) / CRY TO ME / FAST BLUES SHUFFLE / ZOOM THEME / SLOW BLUES / ONE MORE TRY / ROLL OVER BEETHOVEN - REELIN’ AND ROCKIN’

One show, triple bill. This is the first of only two performances ever of Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom (the other show was outdoors the following day). Undercard acts for this debut show were Sunny Jim and Godzilla (who were a late substitution for Cornerstone). In reality, Dr. Zoom was merely a progression of Springsteen’s March 1971 "Friendly Enemies" shows at The Sunshine In and his April 1971 "Jam Concerts" at The Upstage. Much of the long-standing confusion about how many Dr. Zoom shows were performed stems from the fact that some people count the above-mentioned March-April gigs as Dr. Zoom events, while others don’t count them. Technically speaking they weren’t Dr. Zoom shows, but they did contain most of the musicians and the same party-like atmosphere.

The members of Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom were Springsteen, Steven Van Zandt (guitar), David Sancious (keyboards) , Garry Tallent (bass) , Vini Lopez (drums and backing vocals) , Southside Johnny (harmonica and vocals) , Bobby Williams (drums), Albee 'Albany Al' Tellone (tenor saxophone), and Bobby Feigenbaum (alto saxophone). There was also an eight-member backing vocal troupe nicknamed "The Zoomettes", consisting of Jeannie Clark, Robin Nash , Connie Manser , Fifi Longo , Sherl Tallent, Kevin Kavanaugh , Steve Large, and John Luraschi. The MC was Kevin "Bird" Connair. Big Danny Gallagher handled the on-stage props. Danny Federici was not involved in the Dr. Zoom shows.

The ten-song setlist noted above has been culled from a document (in Bruce’s handwriting) that is probably the song schedule for this debut Dr. Zoom gig. The material is clearly identifiable by Bruce’s header of 'Sonic Tunes'. Whether or not Bruce made any late changes to this setlist for the actual performance is not known. Written on the setlist as "Dave Dudley", the third song is actually "Six Days On The Road", the 1963 hit made famous by country music singer Dave Dudley. The song is a celebration of the American trucker and was covered regularly on the Jersey-shore in the 1970s by many bands, including Albee Tellone's Hired Hands. "Fast Blues Shuffle" may be Bruce’s name for "Last Night In Texas" (as also performed at the following day’s Zoom gig). "Zoom Theme" is a rewrite of Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band".

The text below is copyrighted to Jeannie Clark Fisher. //Sunshine In, Asbury Park, NJ, 05-14-71; Newark State College, Newark, NJ, 05-15-71// //"I was a “Zoomette” for two gigs with “Dr. Zoom and the Sonic Boom”, Bruce’s interim band. It was a fun and joyous, somewhat organized, free-for-all! My memory of the Sunshine Inn was a large, rectangular room with concrete floors and square support pillars and a free-standing stage to one side. There was standing room only and lots of people dancing. The next day we went out to Newark for an outside performance. I still have the short, butterfly, hippie dress I wore that day and I bring it out occasionally for Gross National Product, my high school band, reunion concerts."//

There is no audio of this Dr. Zoom show. Collectors should note that the widely circulating boot CD 'The Bruce Springsteen Story, Vol 5' (E Street Records) mistakenly lists that audio as being from this Sunshine In gig. However the audio is actually from the following day’s outdoor Dr. Zoom performance at Newark State College (see May 15 listing for details).


 * 1971-05-15 - NEWARK STATE COLLEGE, UNION, NJ**

IT TAKES A LOT TO LAUGH, IT TAKES A TRAIN TO CRY (6.50) / SOUTHSIDE SHUFFLE (8.49) / LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND (5.54) / GOIN' BACK TO GEORGIA (8.07) / LAST NIGHT IN TEXAS (8.43) / WILL YOU LOVE ME TOMORROW (11.23) / JAMBALAYA (ROLL OVER) (8.23) / ZOOM THEME (2.29) / LADY OF BOSTON - ONE MORE TRY (12.35)

The second (and final) performance of Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom at the first annual "Ernie the Chickin' Festival", an excuse for an all-day, outdoor party extravaganza featuring several local bands including Sunny Jim and Odin.

The show opens with the Bob Dylan penned "It Takes A Lot To Laugh, It Takes A Train To Cry", sometimes incorrectly labelled "Group Therapy". Steven Van Zandt can be heard jokingly warning the campus ambulances (who were parked nearby) to get ready as Bruce opens the show with some screeching guitar! It was long thought that this statement was made by Kevin "Bird" Connair but Albee Tellone has confirmed that Connair was not at this show. "Last Night In Texas" is a rewrite of Sonny Boy Williamson II's "One Way Out"; "Zoom Theme" is a rewrite of Irving Berlin's "Alexander's Ragtime Band". "Lady Of Boston" includes an interpolated section of The Rolling Stones' "One More Try".

A very good quality soundboard tape of most (possibly all) of the Dr. Zoom set can be found on the CD boot 'The Bruce Springsteen Story, Vol 5: Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom' (E Street Records). The liner notes of the bootleg incorrectly lists the audio as emanating from the previous night’s performance at The Sunshine In, however this audio is definitely from the outdoor (not indoor) Dr. Zoom show.


 * 1971-05-15 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was the official debut of line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (installed as a fully-fledged band member). Springsteen replaced guitarist Joe Hagstrom. Bruce would end up staying in the band until mid-July, when he departed to devote his energies to the newly formed Bruce Springsteen Band.


 * 1971-05-21 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. One afternoon show, 4.00pm, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 (Southside, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez, Springsteen). Following this gig Bruce and most of the guys in the band head over to The Upstage for another two evening shows under a different name. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-05-21 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, 9.00pm and 1.00am, with Bruce Springsteen And The Red Hot Mammas the sole act on the bill. Bruce’s backing band is likely to have been David Sancious, Steven Van Zandt, Vini Lopez, and Garry Tallent. The Hot Mammas are believed to have been some of the girls in the The Zoomettes, not the soon-to-be-hired Bruce Springsteen Band vocal duo of Barbara Dinkins and Delores Holmes. This is a key transitional performance in the rapid-fire evolution between Dr. Zoom and the Bruce Springsteen Band.


 * 1971-05-22 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. One afternoon show, 4.00pm, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 (Southside, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez, Springsteen). Following this gig Bruce and most of the guys in the band head over to The Upstage for another two evening shows under a different name. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-05-22 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. Two shows, 9.00pm and 1.00am, with Bruce Springsteen And The Red Hot Mammas the sole act on the bill. Bruce’s backing band is likely to have been David Sancious, Steven Van Zandt, Vini Lopez, and Garry Tallent. The Hot Mammas are believed to have been some of the girls in The Zoomettes, not the soon-to-be-hired Bruce Springsteen Band vocal duo of Barbara Dinkins and Delores Holmes. This is a key transitional performance in the rapid-fire evolution between Dr. Zoom and the Bruce Springsteen Band. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-05-28 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was Line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-05-29 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-06-00 - CHALLENGER EASTERN SURFBOARDS, HIGHLANDS, NJ**

Rehearsals for the newly formed Bruce Springsteen Band. They are Bruce, David Sancious (keyboards), Carl "Tinker" West (congas), Vini Lopez (drums), Garry Tallent (bass), Steven Van Zandt (guitar), Harvey Cherlin (trumpet), Bobby Feigenbaum (sax), Barbara Dinkins (vocals) and Delores Holmes (vocals).

This was Tinker's new factory. He had taken it over around April 1971, although he had retained the old Wanamassa factory for a short time after moving out and used it to store Steel Mill's equipment.


 * 1971-06-18 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

Two shows, 10.00pm and 2.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member).


 * 1971-06-19 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-06-20 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 4.00pm to 7.00pm, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. A very rare afternoon gig at the club. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-06-27 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-07-00 - GARFIELD PARK, LONG BRANCH, NJ**

The date of this show is unconfirmed, but took place some time during summer 1971. Jeannie Clark (Fisher) has recalled the day (the text below is copyrighted to Jeannie) now uncovering this previously-unknown gig: //Tinker set up a solo concert for me in the summer of 1971. I don't remember the exact date. The outdoor concert was in a park not far from the ocean and the Long Branch boardwalk. I remember seeing Bruce in the audience, appearing very interested as I sang my song 'It Really Doesn't Matter'. After I finished Bruce jumped up on stage, followed by Vini Lopez, Garry Tallent and the usual crowd of New Jersey musicians, to jam the rest of the night away.//


 * 1971-07-02 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-07-03 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member). A typical gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). Following this show the group went over to The Upstage and played another show until sunrise.


 * 1971-07-03 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 2.00am to 5.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen (as a fully-fledged band member).


 * 1971-07-04 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Sundance Blues Band the sole act on the bill. This was line-up #2 of the group (Southside Johnny, Van Zandt, Lopez, Tallent and Springsteen. This was Springsteen’s last gig as a core member of The Sundance Blues Band, although he would continue to make guest appearances right up until the band was mothballed in early 1972. David Sancious (keyboards) was later added to the line-up in place of Springsteen.


 * 1971-07-10 - BROOKDALE COMMUNITY COLLEGE, LINCROFT, NJ**

C.C. RIDER - DOWN THE ROAD APIECE (10:31) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (5:20) / COME ON BILLY (BREAK OUT THE WINE) (4:42) / LAST NIGHT IN TULSA (4:30) / GOIN’ BACK TO GEORGIA (7:55) / NATURAL MAGIC (end cut, 2:25) / DARKNESS, DARKNESS (17:25) / DANCE DANCE DANCE (6:14) / JAMBALAYA (ROLL OVER) (6:39)

One show, quadruple billing, with the newly-formed Bruce Springsteen Band headlining the outdoor '2nd Annual Nothing’s Festival'. Undercard acts were Sunny Jim, Odin and Jeannie Clark. This gig is the first known performance of The Bruce Springsteen Band. They’re essentially a modified version of Dr. Zoom & The Sonic Boom (minus The Zoomettes, Southside Johnny and the various vaudeville elements). The line-up of this initial version is Springsteen, Van Zandt, Sancious, Tallent and Lopez plus (on selected tracks) Bobby Feigenbaum (sax), Harvey Cherlin (trumpet), along with the vocal duet of Delores Holmes and Barbara Dinkins. This large nine-member lineup of the band will eventually expand to ten, with the addition of Bruce’s manager Tinker West on congas. However this 'big band sound' will only last about two months before it begins to shrink.

The text below is copyrighted to Jeannie Clark Fisher. //Brookdale Community College, Lincroft, NJ, 7-10-71// //"This was the second annual “Nothing’s Festival”, although the first annual one, scheduled at the Beachcomber in Long Branch, NJ, didn’t happen for some reason. A brainchild of Carl “Tinker” West, the event was truly in the flower-people spirit; nobody got paid and no one paid to come. It was a warm, summer afternoon. My father tuned the piano and he also tuned for Bruce on several other occasions. Bruce Springsteen’s Band was the headliner. I did my solo set and bands, Sunny Jim and Odin filled in the middle spots. My friend, Geoff, said to me as Bruce was playing, “this guy is going to be really big someday”."// //My songs: “You Ain’t Goin’ Nowhere” (Bob Dylan cover), “Back Here”, “Feel Like A Woman”.//

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a 66-minute outdoor audience recording of (at best) fair quality. Given this show was a four-artist billing this audio is likely to represent most (possibly all) of Bruce’s performance at this show. This above-mentioned audio (minus "Natural Magic" and "Jambalaya") can be found on the CD boot 'Down The Road Apiece' (Golden Stars). These performances of "Natural Magic" and "Jambalaya" are not currently found on any mainstream boot. Collectors should note that the liner notes on the 'Down The Road Apiece' bootleg mistakenly credits this audio to a December 17 indoor club performance at Rutgers. This tape is also available as a cassette transfer by Mjk5510 which does include both Natural Magic and Jambalaya.


 * 1971-07-11 - SUNSHINE IN, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

Set list is undocumented. The Bruce Springsteen Band opens for the (at the time) red-hot Humble Pie. After the show, an impressed Peter Frampton, leader of Humble Pie, tells Springsteen and the band he'd like to have them open for them on a national basis. Frampton also states that he would be happy to get the band an audition with his record label, the prestigious A&M Records. For no logical reason, manager Tinker West declines both offers on the spot. The story is corroborated in separate published interviews with Peter Frampton and Bruce Springsteen Band trumpet player Harvey Cherlin. The show was reviewed in very favourable terms in the //Asbury Park Press// of July 12, 1971. The ten-strong Bruce Springsteen Band for this show consisted of core members Springsteen, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez and Sancious, plus (on selected songs) Harvey Cherlin (trumpet), Bobby Feigenbaum (sax), Delores Holmes (vocals), Barbara Dinkins (vocals) and Tinker West (congas).


 * 1971-07-18 - MONROE PARK, RICHMOND, VA**

No set details known. One daytime outdoor show, with the 10 piece Bruce Springsteen Band headlining. Support act was Sunny Jim. This was the first known gig a Springsteen-led band had played in Monroe Park since his Richmond debut (with Child - see June 1, 1969 listing). Apparently, after their show, some of the band and its entourage went to see an outdoor concert by The Byrds somewhere in the general vicinity (possibly the State Fairgrounds in Richmond). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-07-22 - D'SCENE, SOUTH AMBOY, NJ**

List #1: COME ON BILLY (BREAK OUT THE WINE) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME / Instrumental / SOMETIMES AT NIGHT / NATURAL MAGIC / BORDER GUARD / LAST NIGHT IN TULSA / I HOPE I’M TRUE / IF YOU WANT TO GET HIGH / I’M A BIG GIRL NOW

List #2: CHEROKEE QUEEN / SHE’S GOT THE LORD / YOU DON’T LEAVE ME NO CHOICE / IT’S ALL RIGHT / DO IT WITH A FEELING / SPANISH DREAMS / JAMBALAYA (ROLL OVER) / GYPSY RIDER / FULL OF LOVE / DANCE DANCE DANCE / SO MUCH STYLE / FAST BLUES

Two shows, 9.00pm and 11.30pm, double bill, with The Bruce Springsteen Band (in its 9-10 member incarnation) headlining and Sunny Jim opening. This was the first of two consecutive Thursday evening appearances at the club. There is no known audio of either show. A song list in Springsteen's handwriting (click the above date/location link to view) has been recalled with some degree of confidence by one of the band members as emanating from either this night or the following week's booking at this club. This does not appear to be not a setlist, but many (or possibly all) of the songs must have been performed at the July 22 and 29 shows. These are all Springsteen compositions and there are several rarities here of which no circulating audio has yet emerged from any show, rehearsal or studio source, such as "I Hope I'm True", "If You Want To Get High", and "I'm A Big Girl Now". A recently discovered soundboard recording from one of the shows on July 29 includes one of these previously unknown songs, "Full Of Love". The song written only as "Instrumental" may be what is generally referred to as "Darkness, Darkness", which was regularly played by the Bruce Springsteen Band around this time. In addition, a sheet containing handwritten lyrics of "Sometimes At Night" has been displayed at Hard Rock Cafe in Brussels, which can also be viewed by click on the date/location link above. "Come On Billy (Break Out The Wine)" is also known by the titles "Nothing Can Stop Me" or "Nothing Can Stop Me Now".


 * 1971-07-23 - GUGGENHEIM BANDSHELL, DAMROSCH PARK, LINCOLN CENTER, NEW YORK CITY, NY**

C.C. RIDER - DOWN THE ROAD APIECE (10:00) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (5:07) / COME ON BILLY (BREAK OUT THE WINE) (5:15) / I’M IN LOVE AGAIN (4:11) / DANCE DANCE DANCE (5:52) / YOU DON’T LEAVE ME NO CHOICE (8:55) / JAMBALAYA (ROLL OVER) (12:47)

One show, with The Bruce Springsteen Band (along with several other unsigned groups) performing as part of the Guggenheim Memorial Concert Series that took place daily in Damrosch Park during the summer of 1971. According to the //New York Times// the headliner and scheduled 8.00pm show closer on July 23 was The Richard Goldman Band, a classical orchestra noted for its creative use of wind and brass instruments. Bruce and his team were one of several unnamed-in-print undercard acts, each of who were allocated hour-long performing slots. At one point Bruce can be heard off mike asking “How much more time do we have?” The response back is “fifteen minutes” and Bruce times the end of his show impeccably. The fact that Bruce’s mid-1971 lineup included horns may have been the reason Tinker got this particular booking. The trumpet and sax are highly prevalent throughout and the arrangements (likely created by Van Zandt) are outstanding.

Although this was an outdoor event, Bruce and the band were performing within the Guggenheim Band Shell. The superb acoustics of that shell, combined with an un-degraded source tape, have resulted in a truly exceptional concert document. Add to this a tight, highly disciplined and inspired performance by the entire band and it’s easy to see why most rate this Damrosch gig as the finest pre-CBS Springsteen concert currently in existence. This texture of this performance is more in keeping with the funkiness of Bruce’s 1974 Wild & Innocent Tour dates and early Asbury Jukes shows. It is essential audio in any Springsteen collection.

The nine-member Bruce Springsteen Band at Damrosch Park is the same as the ten-member contingent that performed at The Sunshine In ten days earlier (see July 11 listing) with the exception that Tinker West is not playing congas, it seems Tinker was busy working the soundboard. This show includes some of Bruce’s finest early-period songwriting efforts. There are definitive live performances of “Jambalaya” and “You Mean So Much To Me” Delores Holmes delivers the sexy Ronnie Spector-ish lead vocal on "I'm In Love Again" and "You Don't Leave Me No Choice". A Springsteen lead vocal of these two songs has yet to surface. Bruce’s searing guitar work during “You Don’t Leave Me No Choice” is among his all-time best.

Extensive research has revealed little; the Bruce Springsteen Band was not mentioned in the program or the //New York Times//. Many thanks to Special Collections in Performing Arts at the University of Maryland.

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from a soundboard recording that is available on the CD 'The Bruce Springsteen Story, Vol 6' (E Street Records). The bootleg cover implies some Columbia Records/CBS affiliation with the recording but this is just fantasy artwork. This 60-minute recording has continuity between songs and is almost certainly the complete show from this afternoon gig.


 * 1971-07-25 - MONMOUTH HILLS CLUBHOUSE, RUMSON, NJ**

No set details known. This must rank as one of the strangest shows played by the Bruce Springsteen Band. Along with Mel Arnold's Orchestra they are hired to entertain guests at the 'going public' of the Marine International Corporation, a company engaged in the catching, processing and distributing of various marine resources. A company of VIP guests, including Senator Richard R. Stout, were fed the finest of seafood to the strains of the orchestra. The Bruce Springsteen Band took the stage at 1.00am.


 * 1971-07-29 - D'SCENE, SOUTH AMBOY, NJ**

C.C. RIDER (11:44) / YOU MEAN SO MUCH TO ME (5:23) / COME ON BILLY (BREAK OUT THE WINE) (5:40) / NATURAL MAGIC (6:06) / FULL OF LOVE (5:43) / DARKNESS, DARKNESS (18:29) / GOIN' BACK TO GEORGIA (9:19) / I'M IN LOVE AGAIN (4:23) / DANCE DANCE DANCE (6:57) / LAST NIGHT IN TULSA (5:21) / YOU DON'T LEAVE ME NO CHOICE (7:33) / JAMBALAYA (ROLL OVER) (12:05)

Two shows (9.00pm and 11:30pm), double bill, with the nine-piece Bruce Springsteen Band headlining and Sunny Jim opening. The Band consists of core members Springsteen, Van Zandt, Tallent, Lopez, and Sancious, plus (on selected songs) Harvey Cherlin (trumpet), Bobby Feigenbaum (saxophone), Delores Holmes (vocals), and Barbara Dinkins (vocals).

The above twelve-song setlist is from an excellent quality soundboard recording that is not currently in circulation. This source is unique in being the only known recording of a complete, full-length Bruce Springsteen Band concert with backing singers and horns. The reels were recently discovered in the vault of a highly respected collector and originally belonged to Mike Appel. Three songs from this recording ("You Mean So Much To Me", "Come On Billy (Break Out The Wine)", and "Natural Magic") can be found on the CD 'The Bruce Springsteen Story, Vol 4' (E Street Records), incorrectly attributed to a show the following week at Sunshine In in Asbury Park. During the show, Bruce (and Vini Lopez, who calls the club the Sunshine Out) can be heard advertising their upcoming appearance. The sound quality of the new source is a substantial upgrade over the three songs found on the aforementioned bootleg, about 114-minutes long with continuity between songs, and certainly the complete set. There were two shows tonight, it is uncertain which the recording emanates from.

Unsurprisingly, the set structure is similar to the show a week earlier at Damrosch Park in New York City, opening with "C.C Rider" before "You Mean So Much To Me", which interestingly Bruce introduces with the title "When She Sings To Me". "Natural Magic" was, at the time, probably Bruce's finest love song. This is the only known recording of "Full Of Love", a song that was previously known from a handwritten setlist document which is believed to emanate from a gig at this venue. While the chorus is actually sung "I thank the Lord above / for sending me a woman that is filled with so much love", it seems highly likely that they are the same song. The instrumental "Darkness, Darkness" clocks in at over 18 minutes, and contains elements that would later be found in "Kitty's Back". Delores Holmes provides the vocals on "I'm In Love Again" and "You Don't Leave Me No Choice", which once again features some outstanding guitar work from Springsteen.


 * 1971-08-07 - SUNSHINE IN, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, double bill, with The Bruce Springsteen Band headlining with a 90-minute performance and Psychotic Blues Band opening with a 60-minute performance. The Bruce Springsteen Band at this show features the same nine-piece lineup that played at Damrosch Park two weeks earlier.

A suite of three soundboard recordings ("You Mean So Much To Me", "Come On Billy (Break Out The Wine)" aka "Nothing Can Stop Me", and "Natural Magic") found on the CD 'The Bruce Springsteen Story, Vol 4' (E Street Records) are attributed to this date but are in fact from July 29 at D'Scene in South Amboy, NJ, the previous week. See that listing for more information. A fourth soundboard recording found on this CD, “Hoochie Coochie Man”, is a performance by the Psychotic Blues Band and may actually be from this show, but that is uncertain.


 * 1971-08-00 - UNKNOWN CLUB, RICHMOND, VA**

No set details known. In the last week of August the Bruce Springsteen Band perform in front of a crowd of 5,000. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-09-01 - GARFIELD PARK, LONG BRANCH, NJ**

LITTLE QUEENIE / BRIGHT LIGHTS, BIG CITY / THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES / JUMPIN’ JACK FLASH - IT’S TIME TO GO HOME / I’VE GOT TO HAVE YOU BABY / YOU BETTER BE NICE TO ME, BABY / (GET YOUR KICKS ON) ROUTE 66 / THE NIGHT THEY DROVE OLD DIXIE DOWN / DANCE DANCE DANCE (with Tinker West) / JAMBALAYA (ROLL OVER) (with Tinker West et al.)

One show, triple bill, with the five-member Bruce Springsteen Band headlining. The support acts for this show were originally Sweet Chariot and Tumbleweed, but it appears that the latter were replaced at the last minute by The Joe Hagstrom Squeak Band. This was an outdoor show orchestrated by Tinker West’s Blah Productions. Garfield Park is located at the intersection of Broadway and Ocean Ave, near the ocean. The above-mentioned ten-song, partial setlist is culled from a 66-minute audience recording of this show, none of which has ever appeared on any mainstream boot and all of which remains in very limited circulation. Unfortunately, the taper utilized a cheap recording device. The sound quality is consistent but is weak (fair), although it’s not horrible. While the opening seconds of “Little Queenie” are missing, all other songs are complete. However this performance apparently lasted nearly two hours, so there’s quite a bit missing and discernible edits can be heard in between songs on the audio source.

The line-up for this show is Springsteen, Van Zandt, Sancious, Tallent and Lopez. Although Bruce handles all the lead vocals, the performance is unusual in that Springsteen is on piano for most of these ten songs from this show. Sancious plays the organ and Steven Van Zandt handles much of the guitar chores. Tinker West guests on congas on “Dance Dance Dance” and the rousing finale “Jambalaya” (which also features an unidentified walk-on troupe of backing vocalists consisting of inner circle troops and members of both undercard bands). Highlights of this show are “The Night They Drove Old Dixie Down” (the only known Springsteen performance), as well as the only known audio of two Springsteen compositions, “It’s Time To Go Home” (also known by the title “Festival”) and “You Better Be Nice To Me, Baby”. "The Ballad Of Jesse James" is also known by the title "Don't You Want To Be An Outlaw".


 * 1971-09-03 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. Evidence strongly points to this night as being the start of what would turn out to be a virtual 3½ month residency at the club, encompassing nearly 40 shows.

September would also mark the beginning of the end of the ten-member 'big band' lineup of the band that Springsteen had been utilizing since July. Due to financial constraints, the non-core members of the Bruce Springsteen Band (Dinkins-Holmes-Cherlin-Feigenbaum-West-Daniels) will only appear, either in whole or in part, at a handful of special occasion gigs during the remainder of 1971.

At a July 29, 1978 concert in St. Petersburg, FL, Bruce mentions that the band used to play Chuck Berry's "Around And Around" at the Student Prince. It's likely he was referring to this residency, although how frequent and at which shows, we can't tell.


 * 1971-09-04 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). As fate would have it, Norman Seldin & The Joyful Noyze (featuring its then-new member Clarence Clemons) was in the final stages of a 7 week (July 16 - September 5) residency at the nearby Wonder Bar. By comparing the common denominator times in both bands performing schedules it can be deduced that it was most likely on this night (or the night before) that Clarence Clemons walked over to the Student Prince during a Wonder Bar intermission and first met (and jammed with) Springsteen. Contrary to widespread belief (and Bruce and Clarence’s wonderful, but 'embellished', stories of the meeting) Clemons did not quickly resign from Seldin’s band and join Bruce, he remained a fixture in The Joyful Noyze until October 1972.


 * 1971-09-05 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-10 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-11 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-12 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-17 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-18 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-19 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-24 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-25 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-09-26 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-10-01 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-10-02 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-10-03 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-10-08 - THE LEDGE, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ**

One show, double bill, with The Bruce Springsteen Band headlining and Joe Cadora’s rock band Ice Nine opening. Held in the Student Union’s Ledge Club. Joe Cadora has recalled this show noting a number of songs that he believes were played. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-10-15 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-10-16 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show with The Bruce Springsteen Band the lone act on the bill. A typical performance at The Student Prince consisted of three or four 40 minute sets with healthy breaks in between.


 * 1971-10-17 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). This date is probably the last time the


 * 1971-10-23 - KELLER HALL GYMNASIUM, UNIVERSITY OF RICHMOND, RICHMOND, VA**

GOT MY MOJO WORKING / IT'S ALL OVER NOW, BABY BLUE / DO IT WITH A FEELING / CHEROKEE QUEEN / LOOK TOWARDS THE LAND / NOT FADE AWAY - GUNSLINGER / COMING HOME / HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN / KEY TO THE HIGHWAY / WHEN YOU DANCE / GOIN' BACK TO GEORGIA / DON'T LOOK BACK

One show, triple bill, with The Bruce Springsteen Band headlining. Trumpet player Harvey Cherlin and backup singers Barbara Dinkins and Delores Holmes are not featured. They are absent. The band is comprised of only the five core members; Springsteen, Van Zandt, Tallent, Sancious and Lopez. Undercards were the New Jersey-based outfits Tumbleweed and Black Forrest Rhodes, both had recently become involved with Tinker West’s Blah Productions. The three-member, acoustic-orientated Tumbleweed deserves special mention. They had recently returned from studio sessions in Nashville (booked under the name Montana Flintlock), events orchestrated by Mike Appel. Tumbleweed would turn out to be the original connection between Tinker West and Appel, one that would soon have Tinker driving Springsteen to New York to meet Mike.

The majority of the audio listed above was previously listed under the date, March 17, 1972, at Richmond Arena, Richmond, VA. However, the discovery of two reels in the collection of a highly respected collector has led us to move the audio to this date. The reels have excellent pedigree, originally belonging to Mike Appel, and are marked with this date and location.

The discovery of these reels is significant for a number of reasons. First, it includes the complete (aside from small edits due to tape changes) twelve-song, 127-minute show in the correct order, including two songs not found in the previously circulating audio. The sound quality is a significant upgrade over the old tapes, with distinctive improvements in clarity, separation, and a lack of background noise and hiss. The first additional song, the blues-standard "Key To The Highway", is known from a subsequent performance at the Student Prince in December, but the audio quality here is a vast improvement over the fair-quality audience recording from that show. However, it's the discovery of the second new song that is most important, a previously unknown Springsteen composition, the set closing "Don't Look Back", introduced by Bruce with that title (unrelated to the outtake from //Darkness On The Edge Of Town//). It is a slow, dirge-like song led by Springsteen on the piano and is nearly eleven minutes long. It is extremely reminiscent of some of the solo material that he would go on to record in the spring of 1972. "Don't Look Back" is about a struggling, previously successful singer and perhaps could be autobiographical, at least in part. Part of the final verse reads:

//They'll take you, they'll make you and break you until you're almost gone / And they'll throw you to the street hounds to pick your bones / Till you're so damned stoned and confused and you can't sing nothing but the blues / You're just another winner whose turn it was to lose / Now them days for you are over and you're lucky to have survived / Here you go again with another rock n roll band, just playing to keep yourself breathing//

Audio recordings from this show have been in circulation with collectors since the early 1980s, although they tended to circulate in bits and pieces and were incorrectly dated. For many years this tape was incorrectly attributed to a November 1970 Steel Mill gig in Richmond. However this is clearly not Steel Mill, as Robbin Thompson is not present, Springsteen and Van Zandt share lead guitar duties and David Sancious is on keyboards. Springsteen plays piano on both “Cherokee Queen” and “Look Toward The Land” (with Sancious handling organ). Only “Cherokee Queen” has appeared on any mainstream bootleg since it was pressed on acetate as a Sioux City publishing demo later in 1972. In 2007, a veteran collector, audio2575, discovered an old tape long overlooked in his collection that contained a previously undocumented, additional song from this show (the Springsteen composition “Coming Home”) which is one of the performance highlights. Shortly thereafter that same collector released the contents of his tapes as the 'Non Über Project Volume One', which is ten songs and ninety-five minutes long. For the very first time, this release presented the music in stereo even "Cherokee Queen", which was originally pressed on acetate in mono. However, the songs were still in the incorrect order of appearance. Like all previous releases, it was attributed to the incorrect date and venue, March 17, 1972 at the Richmond Arena, Richmond, VA. The incomplete show is also available on CDR 'Fantastic Virginia' the Vintage Masters label. Unfortunately the opening and closing couple of minutes of “When You Dance” are cut on all currently circulating tapes, however, both are intact on the newly discovered reels. For the first encore, voices can be heard near the front of the stage yelling for “Resurrection” (a song Bruce stopped playing when Steel Mill folded). Bruce doesn't oblige, but instead delivers “Goin’ Back To Georgia”, itself rarely played by the Bruce Springsteen Band. Bruce performs a condensed arrangement, without any band harmony vocals.


 * 1971-10-29 - ST. JEROME SCHOOL, WEST LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One show, with The Bruce Springsteen Band headlining, New Jersey band Highway billed second and unspecified 'others' also listed as performing. Francine Daniels likely made her debut with the band (replacing Barbara Dinkins) at this show or at the Upstage later in the evening.


 * 1971-10-29 - THE UPSTAGE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

No set details known. One (informal) show, with Springsteen and members of his band taking part in a 2.00am - 5.00am jam session with numerous other Asbury Park musicians. Francine Daniels likely made her debut with the band (replacing Barbara Dinkins) at this show or at St. Jerome School earlier in the evening. This was the second to last night The Upstage was open - the club closed for good on October 30. There was a similar jam session show on the final night, however, Bruce and his band did not attend because they were performing a gig in Richmond.


 * 1971-10-30 - VCU NEW GYM, VIRGINIA COMMONWEALTH UNIVERSITY, RICHMOND, VA**

MC’s introduction / GOT MY MOJO WORKING / LIVING ROCK AND ROLL / TALKING ABOUT MY BABY / HOOCHIE COOCHIE MAN / THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES

One show, triple bill, with The Bruce Springsteen Band supporting headliner Cactus. The Paul Butterfield Blues Band was originally scheduled to headline with Cactus second billed. However, Butterfield cancelled a couple of weeks beforehand and Springsteen was substituted. Though not mentioned on the gig poster (above), also on the bill and opening the show with a 45-minute performance was local band Morning Son (John Mulkins, David Waddle and Steve Knopp). Audio evidence suggests the Bruce Springsteen Band lineup for this show was the core five-piece band, plus the vocal duo of Delores Holmes and Francine Daniels (who’d recently replaced vocalist Barbara Dinkins). Bruce would later utilize the melody from “Talking About My Baby” for his far superior 1972 composition “Janey Needs A Shooter”. The ladies are heard on the three Springsteen compositions but not the two cover songs.

The above-mentioned setlist is taken from an audience recording of only fair quality that started circulating in the early 80s and then widely propagated after it was booted on the LP 'BRUCE 1971'. The original boot correctly identified the audio source venue as the VCU Gym. However, because no 1971 VCU gig had been identified by 1980s concert history sources, some people began linking this audio to other shows. This forty minutes of audio (which is only about half the total performance) now circulates via homemade CDR, sometimes with material from other shows.


 * 1971-10-31 - NATIONAL GUARD ARMORY, LONG BRANCH, NJ**

No set details known. One triple bill Halloween show, with The Bruce Springsteen Band headlining. Support bands were Tumbleweed and Black Forrest Rhodes. This is believed to be the final show to features Delores Holmes, Francine Daniels, and Bobby Feigenbaum, effectively ending the "big band" period for The Bruce Springsteen Band.


 * 1971-11-04 - POCKETFUL OF TUNES INC., NEW YORK CITY, NY**

BABY DOLL

Bruce's first-ever meeting with future manager Mike Appel, held at Wes Farrel's publishing company, where Appel was employed. Tinker West, who knew Appel through the group Tumbleweed (aka Montana Flintlock), organized the get-together and drove Bruce to New York City for the meeting. Bruce performed 2, 3 or 4 songs (accounts differ), some on piano, some on acoustic guitar. Only Appel and West were present at this first meeting. Appel has stated in interview that he was not particularly impressed by what he heard at this initial audition but did see raw creativity in the lyrics of "Baby Doll". The titles of the other songs performed are unclear. The meeting ended with an agreement to keep in touch but no commitments from either party. The next Springsteen-Appel meeting, in March 1972 (see listing), would elicit a dramatically more enthusiastic response from Appel.

No circulating audio. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-11-12 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-11-13 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

AIN'T THAT PECULIAR (with Southside Johnny) (4:17) / BLESS MY SOUL (with Southside Johnny) (7:27) / DARKNESS, DARKNESS (with Southside Johnny)) (11:33) / THE BAND'S JUST BOPPIN' THE BLUES (with Southside Johnny) (10:22) / I REMEMBER (with Southside Johnny) (cut, 7:23) / WHEN YOU DANCE (10:47)

One show, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill.

The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a long-circulating, muddy soundboard recording which can be found on the CDR 'Legend Of Steel Mill' (Vintage Masters). Comments made by Bruce regarding video footage being shot during the show positively link this audio to The Student Prince. Prior to beginning “I Remember” Springsteen can be heard informing the audience that a gentleman named Mark Romanski is present and filming. Romanski, a friend of Steven Van Zandt, was filming as part of a course project he was taking at University. Sadly all the film footage was destroyed in the early 1970s. It is believed this filming was undertaken at one of the November 1971 shows, although the specific date has not been determined. The first five songs exhibit continuity and are clearly part of the same set. “When You Dance” is from this show but it seems to be the final song of the evening. "Bless My Soul" is also known by the title "You Sure Can Dance". Southside Johnny is a guest and handles the lead vocal on “Ain’t That Peculiar”. Southside’s harp playing can be heard on all the songs except for “When You Dance”. “I Remember” is cut prematurely. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-11-14 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-11-19 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40-minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). An 'unravel-the-Springsteen-song-titles' table mat puzzle (shown above) was produced by the club for use during this month-long residency. The eleven songs titles mentioned are "Cowboys Of The Sea", "Down To Mexico", "Just Can't Change", "I Remember", "Like A Stranger", "Magic Loving", "Maria", "No Way", "Make Your Mind Up", "When You Dance" and "Funk Song" (more commonly known to fans by the title "The Band's Just Boppin' The Blues" or "Secret To The Blues"). Interestingly these eleven songs range from Steel Mill-era creations ("Just Can't Change") to recently written material showcasing Springsteen's rapidly developing lyric skills ("Cowboys Of The Sea").

Two of these songs ("Maria" and "No Way") are not known from any circulating audio.


 * 1971-11-20 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-11-21 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-11-23 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:00pm to 11.00pm, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. This was an unusual show in that it was held midweek (Tuesday). The early closing time allowed Bruce time to travel to nearby Linden to join in on a late night jam.


 * 1971-11-23 - NEW PLAZA THEATER, LINDEN, NJ**

JEFF'S BOOGIE / EVERYDAY I HAVE THE BLUES

One four hour show. Bruce makes an unadvertised guest appearance at this quadruple billing concert featuring local groups The Rich Baron Band, Taylors Mills Road, Tumbleweed and Psychotic Blues Band. Bruce had been invited to the gig by Pat Karwin, the lead guitarist of Tumbleweed and participates (on lead guitar) in a 30-minute end-of-show 'jam' that included a line-up of Springsteen, Karwin, and members of Psychotic Blues Band. Bruce participates on extended versions of The Yardbirds and B.B. King classics mentioned above. Tinker West organized and managed the sound equipment for this show.


 * 1971-11-24 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:00pm to 11.00pm, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. This was an unusual show in that it was held midweek (Wednesday), Thanksgiving holiday eve.


 * 1971-11-26 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-11-27 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-11-28 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). Steven Van Zandt also performed solo in the afternoon, billed as 'The Hoochi-Koochi Guitar Player'. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-12-03 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

SWEET MISS SALLY (9:15) / SHE’S LEAVING (9:38) / KEY TO THE HIGHWAY (6:54) / SURE CAN FEEL THE PAIN (14:09)

One show with The Bruce Springsteen Band the lone act on the bill. A typical performance at The Student Prince consisted of three or four 40-minute sets with healthy breaks in between. From a historical standpoint, the key tracks are “She’s Leaving” (later recorded as a solo demo - here it’s performed with the band) and the excellent “Sure Can Feel The Pain”. “Sweet Miss Sally” is sometimes titled “Mistress Annie” by some sources.

The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a circulating 40-minute audience recording of only fair quality that has never been issued on any mainstream boot. This audio circulates via custom CDR sources, typically alongside some of the audio from the December 17 Rutgers gig. The audio evidence suggests a fairly empty premises for this night’s show. While this is clearly a late period Bruce Springsteen Band club performance, the precise date and venue is not verified. The Student Prince is the most likely location, however, it is possible this audio is from one of the January 1972 shows at The Captain’s Garter or the April 15, 1972 Rutgers show.


 * 1971-12-04 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

IF I WAS THE PRIEST

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). In an interview with Ed Sciaky (see November 3, 1974 listing) Bruce commented that he played "If I Was The Priest" (which Bruce said he wrote in late '70 - early '71) at one of the shows during this residence at The Student Prince, although the specific gig is not known.

There is no circulating audio of the performance.


 * 1971-12-05 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). Steven Van Zandt also performed solo in the afternoon, billed as 'The Hoochi-Koochi Guitar Player'.


 * 1971-12-10 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-12-11 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

COMING HOME (9:12) / WALKING THE DOG (9:00) / ONLY YOU KNOW AND I KNOW (7:32)

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). The above-mentioned partial setlist is from an audience recording that probably dates from this December period and probably comes from this venue. Precise details cannot be determined. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-12-12 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time). Steven Van Zandt also performed solo in the afternoon, billed as 'The Hoochie-Koochie Guitar Player'. include component="page" page="content_help_us" wrap="1"


 * 1971-12-17 - THE LEDGE, RUTGERS UNIVERSITY, NEW BRUNSWICK, NJ**

MARY LOUISE WATSON (9:27) / SHE’S A WOMAN (2:58) / WALKING THE DOG (8:40) / THE BALLAD OF JESSE JAMES (10:25) / WHEN YOU DANCE (end cut, 2:53)

Full set details are not known. One show, triple bill, with the five-member Bruce Springsteen Band headlining. Undercard acts are Southern Conspiracy and Powerhouse. Held at 'The Ledge', a club/coffeehouse located within the school’s Student Union facility.

The above-mentioned partial setlist is taken from a circulating 35-minute audience recording of poor quality that has a notorious history of being cannibalized. The MC’s introduction and the first two songs can be found on boot CD 'Down The Road Apiece' (Golden Stars). The remainder of the audio has never appeared on any mainstream boot but is circulating via private CDR sources, usually with no time/venue identification. Typically the final two or three tracks of this 35 minutes of audio are found combined with audio from an unrelated performance (see December 3 listing). "Mary Louise Watson" is also known by the title "Black Widow Spider". "Walking The Dog" is complete but it usually circulates incomplete. Only the first three minutes of "When You Dance" are in circulation. Unfortunately, it sounds as if the taper placed his microphone in the middle of a table of student drinkers, so the band’s performance is obscured by close proximity crowd noise and chatting. However the conversation does confirm the venue as being The Ledge. Although it seems likely that more of this performance would have been recorded by this source, only the 35 minutes of audio has surfaced to date. Collectors should note that the remaining 54 minutes of audio found on the 'Down The Road Apiece' CD is from an outdoor gig at Brookdale Community College on July 10, not from this Rutgers show as that CD’s liner notes claim.


 * 1971-12-18 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).


 * 1971-12-19 - STUDENT PRINCE, ASBURY PARK, NJ**

One show, 9:30pm to 1.00am, with The Bruce Springsteen Band the sole act on the bill. A typical Bruce Springsteen Band gig at this club consisted of four 40 minute sets separated by healthy intermissions (2½ hrs total playing time).

This was the final-ever Bruce Springsteen Band gig at The Student Prince. Just a day or two following this show Springsteen drove out to California to visit his parents in San Mateo. Bruce drove with Tinker West, who had business matters to attend to and family to visit in California as well. At the time of his departure, Bruce was unsure if he was going to stay in California for several months or only for several weeks. This created an up-in-the-air future for all the other band members. Further gigs were performed at The Student Prince (without Springsteen) on December 24, 25 and 26 (billed as The Sundance Blues Band) and on December 31 (billed as 'Blue Midnight formally Sundance Blues'). As it turned out Springsteen only remained in California for several weeks. Bruce has implied that he performed some solo acoustic gigs while in California, but no specific details or eyewitness accounts have yet emerged. Bruce returned to New Jersey in late January 1972. By this stage, however, both Garry Tallent and David Sancious had moved to Richmond, both having accepted session players jobs at Alpha Sound Studios. The Bruce Springsteen Band was rekindled and due to Sancious-Tallent commitments at Alpha Studios many of the group’s February-March 1972 gigs were booked in the Richmond area.

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